1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical devices for tissue manipulation of a patient, such as for example ablation or cauterization, and more specifically to a thermo-chemical medical device that generates heat for tissue manipulation.
2. Background
Several medical applications require the delivery of high local doses of heat for tissue manipulation. For example, tumors, warts, and other non-desirable tissue growths can be treated by the application of heat to a localized site of tissue growth. Sufficient application of heat will cause the death of cells near the localized site of heat release. Typically, the temperature necessary to kill tumor cells is in the range of about 43 degrees Celsius (° C.) to about 47° C., while at the same time the temperature of the normal surrounding tissue should be kept below about 43° C.
Localized heat release, or generation, can be achieved by several means. Some examples of current approaches for heating tissue include: gamma radiation, lasers, ultrasound, microwave, radio frequency waves, and resistant heating.
A significant drawback to each of these methods is that the patient's body is subjected to strong electromagnetic fields and often the surrounding tissue of the targeted treatment location is subjected to radiation or high levels of heat, even when lower doses of treatment are used. This may result in the unintentional killing of normal surrounding tissue cells. Accordingly, further improvements and enhancements are needed for various forms of tissue manipulation, such as for tissue ablation or cauterization.